StretchLearn Course

Stop Fearing April: Master the Three Freelance Taxes Before They Master You

Learn how self-employment tax works, which deductions you are leaving on the table, and how to pay quarterly so you never owe a surprise lump sum again.

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Beginner9 hr 5 minSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

Most freelancers do great work and then get ambushed in April by a tax bill they never set money aside for, plus penalties they did not know existed. This course explains how self-employment tax and income tax stack, exactly which expenses are deductible and how to substantiate them, and how to calculate and pay quarterly estimates so you never owe a lump sum again. Every module ends with a concrete artifact, from a categorized expense tracker to a four-date quarterly payment calendar and a separate-account savings rule you can set up the same day.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Explain how self-employment tax and income tax stack on freelance profit

Calculate self-employment tax using the 92.35 percent and 15.3 percent rules

Identify and substantiate the deductions freelancers most commonly miss

Compute quarterly estimated payments and meet the safe-harbor thresholds

Set up a separate tax-savings account and a percentage rule that funds it

Choose record-keeping tools and assemble a clean year-end filing package

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: How Freelancers Are Actually Taxed

Before you can plan, you need the map: the three layers of tax on freelance profit, why no one withholds for you, and what counts as taxable income. This module replaces fear with a clear model.

3 lessons

The Three Taxes on Every Freelance DollarContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

What Counts as Taxable Freelance IncomeContent · 40 min

LMS Access

Employee vs Contractor: Why It Changes Your TaxesContent · 40 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Self-Employment Tax and Income Tax in Detail

Now go deeper on the two federal layers: how to calculate SE tax step by step, how income tax brackets really work, and the deductions that lower both. This is the math that drives your savings rate.

3 lessons

Calculating Self-Employment Tax Step by StepContent · 50 min

LMS Access

How Income Tax Brackets Really WorkContent · 45 min

LMS Access

The QBI Deduction and Other Profit ReducersContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Deductions That Actually Survive Scrutiny

Deductions are where freelancers either save thousands or invite trouble. This module covers the ordinary-and-necessary rule, the deductions people most often miss, and how to document them so they hold up.

3 lessons

The Ordinary and Necessary RuleContent · 45 min

LMS Access

The Deductions Freelancers Miss MostContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Substantiation: Making Deductions Audit-ProofContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Quarterly Taxes and a System That Runs Itself

The final module turns knowledge into a calm operating rhythm: when and how to pay quarterly, how to hit the safe harbors that avoid penalties, which tools to use, and how to assemble a clean filing package.

3 lessons

Why and When You Pay QuarterlyContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Calculating Your Estimate and Hitting Safe HarborContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Tools, Savings Rules, and the Year-End PackageContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

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